Method of and apparatus for curing and molding synthetic or natural resins



May 28, 1940.

J. R. HoGE Er Al. METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL RESINS Filed March 2, 193s 11 sheets-sheet 1 TORS e 'bw er im nur-. Y

J. R. HOGE l-:T A1. 2,202,797

METHOD, 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC, 0R NATURAL RESINS May 2s, 1940.

11 sheets-snaai 2 Filed arch 2, 1936 NVENTORS JIQHog ZD.6'0ubber ATT NEYS.

May`28, 1940. Moge Em.' 2,202,797

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC 0R NATURAL RESINS Filed arch 2, 1936 11 Sheets-Sheet 3 ZT/g 3- n m JR.Hoge

Soubier www A TTO NEYS.

May 28, 1940. J. R.. HOGE ET AL 2,202,797

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND HOLDING SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL RESINS Filed March 2, 193e 11 sheets-sheet 4 May 28, 1940.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL RESINS Filed lax-ch 2, 19436 11 Sheets-Sheet 5A May 28, 1940.

J. R. HOGE Er A1.

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIG OR NATURAL RESINS Filed arch 2, 1936 11 Sheets-'Sheet 6 Z-r, 1L

y 7o R l am www Il irl IN V EN TORS JRJLIoge "w L.D.6o ubier /Qvr/ T L.

ATTOR YS.

May 28, 1940. J. R. HOGE Er AL METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL RESINS 11 Sheets-Sheet 7 Filed Maren 2, 195e lllll mi k A l.

/wm w W 2% .94 MHH@ Mmm l L 'f2-J@ May 28, 1940- J. R. HQGE Er Al. 2,202,797

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC 0R NATURAL RESINS Filed latch 2. 1956 11 Sheets-Sheet 8 LJ?. oubier ATT() INVENTORJ :IR .H0

May 28, 1940. .1. R. HOGE ET AL METHOD 0F AND APP'RATUS FIOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC 0R NATURAL RESINS Filed March 2. 1936 May 28; 1940. l J. R. HOGE 'ET Al. I 2,202,797

METHOD 0F AND APPARATUS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL RESINS Filed March 2, 195s 11 sheets-,sheet 1o IN VEN TORS .Hoge "my BY L. D. Saulnier 11 Sheets-Sheet 11 J. R. HOGE ET A1.

Filed March 2, 193e May 28, 1940.

METHOD oF AND APPARATUS yRoR CURING AND NoLDxNG SYNTHETIC oR NATURAL RESINS Parente-a May 2s, 1940 PATENT OFFICE `METIIOD OF AND APPARATS FOR CURING AND MOLDING SYNTHETIC OR NATURAL RESINS John Ralph Hoge.A and Leonard D. Soubier,v

Toledo, Ohio, assignors to Owens-Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of OhioA Application March Z, 1936, Serial No. 66,674

. salaims. This invention relates to a method of and ,apparatus for curing and molding synthetic or y natural resins and other types of materials capable of being molded 'and cured through the curing cycle is set or permanent and cannot be Y action of pressure and heat, these products being utilized either in the form of powder, grain or pellets.

The present known commercial mechanisms are of two main types,` either stationary or rotary, and are worked either by toggles, cams or -hy- Adraulic cylinders. All of'these known mechanisms are of the type wherein the molding or varied except by speeding up or slowing down ofthe machine speed as a whole, and ifthere is a series of molds or mold heads involved the cycle of one mold head can not'I in any way be varied or fractions thereof in production speeds.

relative to the other, nor can its own ycycle of operation be altered.

Therefore, among the objects of the present invention is, first, to provide a machine wherein the curing or molding cycle is flexible and adjustable in its own operating phases, not only -'throughout the entire machine but in each individual head, thus creating a condition wherein the forming cycle of each head may overlap that of the preceding, thereby gaining secondsof time This overlap, of course, results in increased operating speed, while the flexibleoperating cycle results in the obtaining `of a better control of final results in the production ofmolded articles.

A further object is the provision of means Y whereby the'operations or phases of mold heads may be overlapped in order that the time interval of the formative period of each head may in effect be reduced, thus allowing a further increase in productive speed, as well as a more flexible control of operations and elimination of the cause lof various defects in the articles produced.

Another object is to provide means whereby measured charges of the moldable material may be fed in succession to the molds of each head in timed relation or sequence, togetherwith means whereby any head or series thereof may be left uncharged without in any manner affecting the further operations of the machine.

means whereby a charge of material 'is being preheated in a heatedmold of each head while the preceding delivered charge is being molded to final form in another mold'bn the same head. This provides a condition wherein the time cycle for the final curing of the material may be reduced to a minimum. This particular feature is of importance because of the fact that with synthetic resins especially, a formula may be developed which allows a control of the preheating period, that is, it may be so formulated that the -preheating period may be either short or long or of any predetermined duration.

A further object is the provision of vindependent controls for the heads in order that their functions may be individually regulated and that any of them may be cut out of operation without affecting the operation of the machine as a whole or affecting other heads.

It is also an object to provide novel tempera- `ture controlling means whereby the temperature in the zones individual to the molding heads may be regulated and varied at will and independently of each other.

Other objects of ,this invention will lbe apparent hereinafter.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a .front elevational view of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a4 sectional elevational view taken along the line 2-2 of Figl;

Fig; 3 is a part sectional front elevational view taken at the left end of the machine and shows the power means as Well as the timing mechanism for each head;

Fig. 4 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, showing ythe relation between the charge feeding mechanism and the molds, the feeding device being shown in discharging position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional plan view taken at the same line as Fig. 4 and showing the charging mechanism withdrawn from the charging position;

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view at the same line as Fig. 4 and illustrates the cam for unlocking the Icharging mechanism when it reaches the end of its idle stroke;

Fig. 7 is a sectional plan view at the same line as Fig. 4, showing the charging mechanism in locked position at any point between the machine ends and especially with the charging mechanism on its return stroke;

Fig. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 2, showing the air or uid connections for the mandrel and mold; y

Fig. 9 is a sectional elevation taken along the line 9-9 of Fig. 3, illustrating the fluid connections to the pressure cylinder and the timing or trip mechanism therefor;

Fig. 9 isa detail view of the connections for the hydraulic cylinder valve control adjusting mechanism;

Fig. 10 is a front elevational view taken along the line IU-ID of Fig. 5, showing particularly the device for locking the charge feeding mechanism;

Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation taken along the line I l-II of Fig. 6, showing the relation of parts in the charge feeding unlocking mechanism;

Fig. 12 isa section taken along the line I2|2 of Fig, 2, showing the relation of parts between heads and the means for removing the formed articles from the machine;

Fig. 13 isa sectional plan view taken along the line I3-I3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a sectional view taken along the line Id-H of Fig. 2, showing, the mechanism for driving the article removing devices;

Fig. 15 is a sectional elevation taken along the line |5|5 of Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a sectional elevational view which may be through any one of the heads, showing the relation of parts during the preheating and the final curing stage of operation;

Fig. 17 is similar to Fig. 16 and shows the relation of parts at the completion of the final curing and just prior to moving the preheated charge to the nal curing station;

Figs. 18, 19 and 20 are diagrammatic views illustrating one method or cycle of operation in this type of machine;

Fig. 21 is a diagrammatic view of the uid connections and control for the pressing plungers of the entire machine;

Fig. 22 is a part sectional plan view on line 22--22 of Fig. 23, of a portion of the oven show ing the manner in which the head cover plates abut each other and with the insulation omitted:

Fig. 23 is a sectional elevational view through any one of the heads at a point between the head cover plates;

Fig. 24 is a sectional elevation through a head. illustrating a modification in which additional heating elements are supplied;

Fig. 25 is a diagrammatic view of the relation of the heating elements of each head; and

Fig. 26 is a section taken along the line 26-26 0f Fig. 22, illustrating the relation of the cover plates and their shields.

General description The method and apparatus contemplatedrin this invention may be varied in a number of different ways, but for the purpose of illustration and description a specific method and apparatus will be herewith disclosed.

The method concerned herein is new in that it'prescribes to the idea of preheating the material in a heated mold prior to the application of pressure for the final forming, and in this particular instance it is contemplated that the preheating of the'materiai be to such a degree that the material particles will have cohesion and be in such a condition that it will amalgamate without flow marks or gas entrapment. In view of this method of forming and curing, it is absolutely necessary that a particularly flexible type o1' apparatus be employed, otherwise this method cannot be successfully carried out.

The above is particularly pertinent in view of the fact that the application of preheating principles to resinous materials must be accomplished through mechanisms capable of ne and exact control, because these materials have certain inherent characteristics that cause them to become useless if they are under or over cured as to temperature and/or pressure.

The mechanism in general consists of a series of molding or curing mold heads arranged in a straight line and enclosed in an oven or chamber which is heated through the medium of electrical heating elements that are individual to each molding head and controllable individually as to temperature. Each head consists of a table or carrier supporting two or more molds, and within the heated oven this table is arranged for intermittent indexing to bring its molds to charging, preheating and final forming and curing positions in succession. These heads also have individual thereto a forming mandrel and a hydraulic cylinder which incidentally are common to the molds on the head and are arranged in vertical alignment with each other in order that the molds on each table may be brought in alternation to n position for cooperation therewith and then placed under pressure for the final curing step.

The indexing of the mold tables is synchronized with the mechanism for feeding the molding material to the molds as well as with the pressing mechanism.

In the feeding of charges to the molds, a hopper or container for a limited quantity of the moldable material is employed and arranged for travel back and forth along the front of the molding oven or chamber. The movement of this hopper in one direction not only indexes the mold tables, but also causes measured charges of the material to be placed in the molds of each table in succession, while the movement in the opposite direction is merely an idle stroke and has no particular significance except as a means of obtaining a requisite time interval in the molding cycle. However, at the end of this idle stroke the hopper does actuate a mechanism that delivers a predetermined quantity of material from a storage bin to the hopper. This hopper device also carries mechanism which allows adjustment of the time of mold charging relative to mold indexing.

The mechanism which reciprocates the hopper is connected to two cam shafts, one for controlling the hydraulic pressing cylinders and one which controls the application of air or iiuid to the mandrel for cooling and to the mold for cleaning. This rst mentioned cam shaft has mechanism thereon which allows the proper sequential timing of the several operations of each molding head, as well as the sequence of operation of the heads relative to each other. Likewise, the second cam shaft allows the proper sequential timing of the application of air or fluid to each molding mandrel and mold.

The removal of the molded articles from thc machine is an operation that can be denitely set with respect to the stripping of the mold from the formed article and, therefore, does not require adjustment. The article removal is accomplished by means of a rotating disk which is actuated by the withdrawal of the pressing plunger from the mold at the pressing position.

The machine herein disclosed consists primarily of a framework or base 20, superimposed rotated and has formed in its periphery and throughout its length, right and left spiral screw threads or slots 3| and 32, respectively, these slots interconnected at each end of the shaft 34 by a semi-circular slot I9. 'I'he rotation of the shaft 30 supplies, through slots 3| and 32, means for moving a material container or hopper 33 to and fro along the front of the machine, as well as supplying the actuating power for other operations of the machine.

At one end of the shaft 30, which is supported in brackets or extensions 34 of the head casting 2|, is a sprocket 35 connected to another sprocket 39 on a cam shaft 31 by a chain drive 33, forming thereby an interconnected drive for the movable parts of the machine, and provides means through which the series of molding heads and their actuating mechanisms may be caused to function in proper sequence, as will be hereinafter described.

Charging mechanism .Thecharging mechanism consists of a hopper or material container 33 (Figs. 1 and 3) of a size suiicient to carry at least enough material to insure filling a complete set of molds, thus eliminating the need of transporting large quantities and weights. This hopper is mounted upon a slide 40, said slide being carried in horizontal slideways 4I formed on one side of the head casting 2 I. Formed in this slide 4I) beneath the hopper 33 and at right angles to the slide 40, is a slideway 42 which retains the charge transferring member 43 and serves to guide said member 43 between a charging position beneath the hopper 33 to a discharging position over a forming mold 22.

The slide 40 has a depending bracket 44 which is slidably adjustable in slideways 39 on the slide 40 by means of a screw 45, for the purpose of changing the position of the slide 43 lengthwise of the slide 40 to cause the charging member 43 to reach the charging position earlier or later. Thus, we can change the time of presentation of the charge to the molds, especially in relation to their indexing. This adjustment allows control of the time interval of retention of the charge in the mold 22 in advance of the actual forming operation and thereby control the preheat period of the molding material.

For ease of assembling and disassembling, the bracket 44 may be formed in two parts 44a and 41 A clamped around bushings 48 which ride on the shaft 33. These bushings have lug extensions 49 (Fig. 16) which project into the spiral threads 3| and 32, thus causing the slide 4II, through rotation of shaft 30, to move to and fro across the front of the machine and presentthe charging device in succession to the various molding heads. Thel spiral threads 3| and 32 are connected at each end by the semi-circular groove I9 to allow a change in direction of movement of the slide 4II, said groove I9 being so designed that the slide has but a slight pause during the changing of its direction of movement. This is conventional structure.

In order to control the chargingl member 43 in its charging strokes, a cam 50 is provided, said cam being attached to 4the front of the casting 2| and having formed therein a series of depressions 49 (Figs. 'I and 11), each located at a definite position (horizontally) relative to the mold to which it may be assigned.

A horizontal lever 5I fulcrumed on a pivot pin I2 in an extension 53 of the slide 49, is connected to charging member 43 by a link' 54 and carries a cam roll 53 positioned to ride upon cam 59 and adapted to be held thereagainst by a spring 59 (see Fig. 6).

Inasmuch as the slide 40 is connected to the continuously rotatingspiral screw shaft 30, it must, therefore, move continuously in either direction. and as it moves to the right in Figs. l, 4 and 5, the cam roll 55 will drop into the depressions 49, projecting the charging member 43 from the position shown in Figs. 5` and 6 through' openings 51 in the oven 2l, to that shown in Fig. 2 or Fig. 4, thus carrying a measured charge of moldable material from the hopper to the mold 22. This projecting movement of the member 43 `pushes the door 59 inwardly about its hinge pin 59, and as the member 43 is retracted the spring will automatically close the door 59. One of these doors is provided for each head of the machine. As the ,slide 40 continues on its way, the cam roll 55 will ride up the incline 60 of the depression 49 and bring the member '43 to the position shown in Figs. and 6, where it will again receive a charge of molding material in its cavity 6I, by being aligned with the opening 62 in the hopper 33.

In order to insure movement of the material through the opening 62 of the hopper 33 (Fig. 2), agitators 63 are provided, each of these being formed in the shape of a spiral screw.

The opening 64 in the hopper, through which the agitators 63 project, is shaped to correspond to the spiral of the agitators in order that a rotative motion may be imparted to the agitators' simply by projection thereof into the hopper. In order to project and rotate these, a lug 65 (Fig. 4) is provided on member 43, sai'd lug being arranged to contact' the agitator head 66 on its forward stroke, and a spring 61 provides the retractive power for the agitators. Thus, every feeding of a charge provides agitation of the material, insuring an adequate delivery of material to the charge member 43.

Due to the fact that the container 33 delivers charges of material while moving in one direction and is idle when moving in the opposite di rection, it is necessary that provision be made for definitely controlling these operations. This has been accomplished'by providing a locking detent 1li mounted in the extension 53, said detent being so'located that when the hopper reaches the end of its charging stroke the detent is actuated by a stationary cam 1| which forces the detent 1II down into the path of arm 5I when said arm is retracted to thus retain it in the outer position shown in Figs. 5 and '7 where it has been positioned by cam 50.

This cam 1| is of suicient length to allow the hopper slide 40 to continue its movement to the end of shaft 30 and thread 3|l reaching the connecting semi-circular thread I9, thereby shifting the direction 'of motion through thread 32 and starting the return or idle travel of the container 33. When the hopper or container approaches the end of its idle or return stroke, a forked cam 12 (Fig. 4) rides under the button head of detent 10, raising it out of the path of arm- 5|, and releasing said arm to the control of cam 50. The slide 40 continues its travel until it reaches the thread connecting a second semi-circular groove I9 where the thread action is again shifted to reverse the direction of slide movement.

At this time the hopper 33 automatically receives a fresh supply of moldable material by means of its contact with the finger or shutter 15, which trips it and allows a quantity of material to flow from the bin 16, the amount being controlled by the period of time the hopper remains thereunder, or manually as is desired.

A further element of importance in the feeding or charging mechanism is the provision of means whereby accurately measured charges may be obtained. This is accomplished by making the feed member 43 in two parts which are adiustable relative to each other by means of an adjustable screw 11 arranged between the member 43 and its inner adjustable part 18. This allows the capacity of the cavity 6| to be varied and regulated to thus insure the proper quantity of material, or if pellets are being used, it may be adjustable to ilt the pellet.

A number of different material feeding cycles may obtain in this machine, but the preferred form is diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 18, 19 and 20 and will be described presently.

One of the outstanding features in this machine is the provision of a condition whereby a measured charge of moldable material may be supplied to a heated mold, this charge being retained in the mold for a predetermined and controllable period of time in order that it may be preheated to a degree that will not be. detrimental to the final formation and curing of an article under pressure and heat. Referring to Fig. 18, there is shown in diagram the beginning of the machine operation in so far as the feeding of material is concerned. In operation, the hopper 33, shown at the left in dotted lines, moves in the direction of arrow A, and as it passes each molding station a charge of moldable material is deposited in one of the molds.

The movement of parts taking place at this time is illustrated at station 5 of the diagram in Fig. 18, which brings out that the mold table carrying the molds 22 is being indexed prior to the reception of a mold charge on that table and prior to hopper registration with that table and mold. 'I'his same movement takes place on each individual head, that is, the table carrying the mold about to be charged always indexes just prior to reception of a charge by said mold. Thus, it should be apparent that as the hopper reaches the end of its first complete movement in the direction of arrow A, all of the mold tables will have been indexed and one mold A2 of each table will have received a charge of molding material. Further, due to the fact that the mold table 89 is not indexed on the return stroke of the hopper 33, the mold A2 that has been charged will remain at the charging position during the time that the hopper travels to the end of the machine on its charging stroke and then returns on its idle stroke to the initial dotted line position, the time interval required for this being, ofcourse, controllable by the adjustment of the hydraulic power unit 2l illustrated in Fig. 1. 'I'his time interval may also be further regulated by the provision of a spiral groove in the shaft 30, having a different pitch for the return of the hopper from that of the thread which moves the hopper on its charging stroke. Continuing and considering the hopper in the dotted line position shown in Fig. 19 and ready to'` proceed to the second step of its operation in the starting of the machine, it will be noted that, as previously described, each mold table 80 is indexed prior to the reception of a charge in a mold. Therefore, with the hopper 33 in the full line position shown in Fig. 19 and moving in the direction of the arrow B, the previously charged mold A2 will be indexed, bringing an empty mold B2 to the charging position where it then receives a charge, with this same action happening in succession as the hopper continues moving in the direction of arrow B. When the hopper reaches the end of its charging stroke and automatically starts on its return movement, a condition exists wherein all of the molds (A2 and B2) have received charges of the moldable material. From this point on the Molding mechanism 'I'he molding mechanisms in this machine are identical throughout the series of molding heads. Therefore, the description of the operation of this mechanism will in the main be confined to a single molding head.

A molding head, consisting of a table 8l! mounted for rotation in the head casting 2|, has attached on the lower central face thereof a cylindrical bearing or shaft extension 8|. Attached by a key 82 to the lower end of shaft 8| is a bevel pinion 83. Meshing with this pinion is a second bevel gear 84 mounted on and attached to a horizontal shaft 85 and supported in a bracket 90 attached to the lower side of the head casting 2|. Permanently attached to the shaft 85 by means of a key 96 is a driving member 9|, said driving member formed with internal indexing or ratchet teeth 92 on its inner periphery. Alongside of this driving member and freely mounted upon the shaft 85 is a positive drive sector gear 93, said gear having a ratchet pawl attached to its inner face, said pawl being held against the ratchet teeth 92 of member 9| by means of a flat spring 95. This sector gear 93 ,is held in position by means of a collar 91 pinned to the shaft 85. In order to drive these various gears, a rack |00, attached to the lower face of slide member l1 forming a part of the feeding mechanism slide 40 is arranged to mesh with the sector gear 93 during the movement of the slide 40 to and fro along the front of the machine with the material hopper 33. Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, it will be noted that when the feeding mechanism or slide I0 is moving to the right, the rack |00 will engage the teeth of the sector gear 93, causing this gear to rotate clockwise, this rotation in turn causing the indexing member 9| to rotate clockwise due to the meshing of the pawl 95 with the ratchet teeth 92. This motion is transmitted through the bevel gears 83 and 8l, thus causing the mold table 30 to rotate 180 and reverse the position of the molds, that is, cause moving of one mold from a charge receiving position to a charge forming and curing position, while the other moves from the charge forming and curing position to the charge receiving position.

It will be noted that when the motion of the slide 4U is reversed and it moves to the left (Figs. 1 and 3) the rack |00 meshes with the sector gear 93 and this gear will be rotated'counter-clockwise and the ratchet pawl 95 will be ineffective. Thus, no motion will be imparted to the drive shaft 85 upon the reverse movement of the slide l0 and rack |00.

However, to insure that the drive shaftl 85 is not moved from its previously indexed position (see Figs. 2, 16 and 17), a locking detent |0| is utilized, said( detent being projected into conical openings |02 in the member 9| by means of a spring |03 mounted in bracket 90. An adjusting screw |04 supplies a means whereby tension through spring |03 to detent |0| may be regulated. In view of the fact that the index motion is limited to 180, it is only necessary that two locking openings |02 be provided in the driving member 9|. However, more than two molds may be utilized on each table 80 which would necessitate more openings |02 and the changing of rack to a suitable size.

In order that the indexing of the tables may be properly coordinated, the rack |00 is formed with a dovetail tongue ||0 mounted in a dovetail slot formed in the lower portion 41 of the slide member 40. This construction allows the positioning of the rack |00 lengthwise of slide 40 in any desired manner, that is, it may be arranged -to slightly precede the hopper 33 or succeed the hopper 33 as desired.

This adjustment, in combination with the adjustment previously described in connection with the charging mechanism, allows the obtaining of a cycle of operation of any desired character and the proper coordination of the charging mechanisrn and the indexing mechanism to thereby control the time interval of charging relative to indexing of the molds as well as the control of the time interval that the charge is being preheated in the mold.

After a mold 22 has been charged and indexed, it will then be in a position which allows it to cooperate with a forming mandrel |20, said mandrel being mounted in a boss formation |2| of the head casting 2|. 'This mandrel is formed with screw threads |22 which allow it to be locked into the boss |2| and has a shank projection |23 extending through an opening |24 in said boss, thus allowing for an accurate vertical alignment of said mandrel relative to the mold 22 therebelow. The lower end of the mandrel has a projection |25 which may be shaped to conform to any desired interior design of the articleto be formed, but in this particular instance is formed with external screw threads which will cause the formation of internal screw threads on the article being produced.

When the mold table 00 indexes, bringing a mold 22 to the forming and curing position, it is accurately secured in this position by means of the locking member |0| of the indexing mechanism previously described, and in this position it is also in alignment with a pressure applying member |26. This member has a tapered conical-shaped end |21 arranged to iit into a similarly shaped cavity |26 formed in the molds 22. The member |26 is provided with a key |29 which rides in a keyway |30 formed in the casting 2|. When thel table 80 comes to rest after being indexed, a keyway |3| formed therein is brought into alignment with the keyway |30 formed in the casting 2|, thus providing a condition of registration when the member |26 projects vertically upward through opening |32 in table 80, bringing its key |29 into the keyway |3|, locking the tables 80 with head 2| in exact registration with the mandrel |20, and insuring that the mold 22 will be in perfect alignment with said .nandl during ythe forming and curing-operations.

in order to insure the seating of the mold 22 on the member |26, there is provided a forked member |35 having a downwardly tapered portion |36, said member extending partially around the mold 22 and seating upon the tapered shoulder |31 of the mold, thereby locking said mold between this member and the member |26. This fork |35 is welded as at |33 to a tubular shaft |39, said shaft being mounted in an opening |4| formed in the table shaft 3|. A spring" |42 rests on a shoulder |43 of the shaft |39 and is held in position by a screw cap |44 threaded upon the upper end of member 00. Thus, it will be seen that the pressure of the spring |42 is utilized to hold or retain the fork |35 under tension on the tapered shoulder |31 of the mold 22 and thus clamp the mold between this forked member |35 and the tapered point |21 of the pressing member |26 when the mold is being raised to and from the pressure forming position (Fig. 16).

In this manner the mold is at all times retained'in proper position both vertically and horizontally and this member |35 also insures that as the member |26 moves away from the pressure molding position shown in Fig. 16 to the position shown in Fig. 1'7, the mold will be stripped from the formed article |45 and follow the member |26 vertically downward and seat upon the aligning boss |46 formed on the table 80. Moreover, this member |35 being under spring pressure retains the mold in position on the boss projections |40 during the timethat the tables are indexed and prevents both horizontal and vertical motion of said molds relative to the tables.

from molding and curing positions as illustrated in Figs. 16 and 17, vertically disposed hydraulic cylinders |50 (Fig. 2) have been provided. these cylinders being of the ordinary welded cylinder type and mounted in brackets |5| attached to the frame of the machine. `Each cylinder is provided with a piston |52 mounted on a piston rod |53, said piston rod being loosely attached to the member |26 by means of a pin |54. A spring |55 mounted in the cylinder A|50 is utilized to cause a downward motion of the piston |53 after it has finished its pressure stroke during the forming operation.

In order to actuate these cylinders |540, a valve mechanism has been provided which consists of a valve |60 connected to a source of hydraulic pressure by a pipe |6| and having a connection |62 with the lower end of the cylinder |50 as well as an exhaust pipe |63 which conveys the previously used operating fluid back to a reservoir (not shown) of the ordinary type used in hydraulic operation. Referring to Fig 9, it will be noted .that the piston |52 is shown on its upward travel, that is, the valve stem |64 is in such position that the hydraulic iluid under pressure has entered through the pipe i6| and passed through the valve chamber |65 to pipe |62 into the cylinder, causing the piston "to be moved to its upper position and held under pressure for aV predetermined time, thus raising the mold 22 to the position shown in Fig. 16.

The shifting of the valve stem |64 to actuate the cylinders |50 in timed relation is cam controlled and will be described hereinafter. The retraction of the piston |52 is accomplished by shifting the valve stem |64 to bring the chamber |66 into registration with pipes |62 and |63, thus allowing the fluid to return to the hydraulic reservoir through pipe |63. When this valve is shifted, releasing the pressure under the piston |52, a spring |55 becomes active and forces the piston downward, retracting the member |26 and through the action of spring |42 on the stripper yoke |35, the mold 22 is caused to descend and seat upon the projection |46 ofl the indexing table 80. The descent of the mold at this time causes it to strip itself from the formed resinous article |45.

In order to control the movement of the piston |52 in the cylinders |50 of the various heads on the machine, a cam shaft 31 mounted in brackets |69 attached to frame 20 has been provided and mounted upon this cam shaft are series of pairs of cams, each pair being individual to a head, and controlling in the actuation of the piston |52. In View of the fact that each cam unit for the individual heads is alike, only one will be described.

Mounted on cam shaft 31 is a cam |10 which controls the shifting of the valve stem |64 to a position wherein the pressure is shut off from the cylinder |50. This cam |10 is attached to gear |1| which in turn is loosely mounted on said shaft and held in proper .driving position thereon by means of a collar |12 fastened to the shaft by means of a set-screw |13. The control of the valve stem |64 for shifting the piston on its pressure stroke is accomplished by means of a4 cam |14, said cam being adjustably mounted upon the cam shaft 31 by means of a set-screw |15 in order that therelation of the cam |14 may be accurately set with relation to the rotation of the cam shaft 31 to allow a definite predetermined time setting between the shifting of the valve stern and the indexing of the mold tables. This cam |14 is attached to a bevel gear |16 and interconnected to cam |10 by means of a gear train consisting of bevel gears |18 and |11 and bevel gear |1|, this latter permanently attached to the cam |10. The bevel gear |11 is mounted on a hub arranged for free adjusting movement about the shaft 31. This hub is connected by a yoke |8| to an adjusting screw block |82 mounted on an adjusting screw |83, said block centered in the yoke and having sliding connection thereto by means of yoke slots |84 and pin |85. The adjusting screw |83 is mounted for free rotation in a bracket |86 and held in position therein by a retaining pin |81 in a circumferential slot |88. By rotating the screw |83 through hand-wheel |89, the bevel gear |11 will be rotatably shifted about the axis of the shaft 31 to thereby adjust the positions of cams |10 and |14 relative to each other.

By rotating the hand-wheel |89 to the right, the gear |11 may be shifted toward the center of the machine and as the cam shaft 31 is rotating clockwise, the gear |16 will likewise be rotating clockwise and the gear I1| will be moving counter-clockwise, and from this it will be found that gear |11 will be speeded up, thereby shifting the gear |-1I counter-clockwise relative to the cam shaft 31 a degree commensurate with the amount of shifting of the gear |11. This will mean that the controlling fingers |90 and |9| on cams |14 and |1| respectively, will move relative to each other about the center of the shaft 31, thus increasing the distance or the number of degrees between these fingers and consequently changing the time interval between the shifting of the valve stem |64 to the operative and inoperative positions with respect to its cylinder |50. By reversing the adjustment of the handwheel |89 to Jthat just described, the opposite condition of adjustment will, of course, be obtained.

In order to shift the valve stem |64, a lever and a bell crank |96 have been provided which are fulcrumed on a common shaft |91 mounted in the brackets |98 attached to the machine frame 20. The lever |95 carries a cam roll 20| which runs in engagement with the cam |19 and through the cam nger |9| controls dropping of the piston |52 in order to lower the mold 22 from the pressure forming position. The contact between the valve stem |64 and the lever |95 is by a roll 20| resting upon an extension 202 of the valve stem |64 and having a free connection therewith for the purpose of leaving the valve stem free for further manipulation by the bell crank lever |96 at the proper time and without interference between the two cam actions. The lever |96 is a bell crank type fulcrumed on shaft |91 and is arranged to contact the lower endy face |99 ofthe valve stem |64 by means of a free roll contact 203 and is actuated by the cam finger |90 on cam |14 contacting cam roll 204 of the bell crank |96.

By referring to Figs. 2 and 9, it will be noted that these two levers for shifting the valve stem |64 held in contact with their control cams by means of springs 205 and 206, are of a 4floating type, that is, one may always be actuated Without interference from the other or without possibility of jamming.

With this mechanism just described it is possible to so time the shifting of the valve stem |64 that any desired time interval of retention of the forming mold 22 in the pressure molding position shown in Fig. 16 is obtainable and is adjustable while the machine is in motion. For example, if it is found that the mold is held in the up position, as shown in Fig. 16, for too long a time interval, it is only necessary for the operator to adjust the hand-wheel |89 in the proper direction to shorten this time interval and thusvchange and regulate the curing cycle or pressure application.

In view of the fact that the cam |14 is adjustable on shaft 31 and cam |10 is free thereon, lt is possible to obtain any sort of a predetermined cycle on each individual head and as each head has a similar adjusting unit, it is possible to vary the cycle of operation on one head relative to a cycle of any other head without stopping the machine operation or in any way interfering with the cycle of operation of the entire machine or the individual cycle of each head.

The hydraulic mechanisms utilized in this machine may be any of the well known types that may be purchased in the open market and these have been utilized to obtain a particularly flexible control of the machine mechanisms. For example, referring to Fig. 21, it will be noted that an electric motor 2|0 drives a hydraulic pump 2|| having a main feed line connection 2|2 including a by-pass valve 2|3 in order that any excess of fluid may be returned to a collecting reservoir (not shown) by means of the return pipe 2|4. From the by-pass valve 2|3 a main feed line 2|5 leads to a series of pressure control devices 2|6 and thence to respective control valves |60 for the cylinders |50. From this control valve, pipes |62 lead to the bottoms of the cylinders |50. Pipe |63 returns the used fluid to a collecting reservoir while line |6| connects the pressure control device 2|6 to the valve |60. The units or controls 2| 6 may be of any standard type and provide a means whereby the fluid flowing through the main feed line 2|5 to the cylinders |50 may be metered to the cylinder at 1l a predetermined constant rate and pressure. this being governed by the particular setting of the feed control lever 2|1. In this way the rate of feed and pressure to the individual cylinders on each head may be regulated and controlled at will without interfering with the hydraulics of any out affecting the operations of the other heads.

In the molding of natural or synthetic resins, it is found necessary at times to clean the molds and in some instances it is beneficial to cool the forming mandrel and in order to accomplish these results automatically there is provided means including a cam shaft 225 (Fig. 2) driven from the shaft 35 by a chain 22| connecting a sprocket 222 on shaft 35 and a sprocket 223 on shaft 225, to drive this last mentioned shaft in a definite timed relation with the 'rotation of shaft 35. Adjustably mounted on'the shaft 225 is a cam 224, said cam being arranged to trip the valve stem 225 of a whistle valve 225, allowing compressed air `or any other desired fluid to enter from a 'feed supply pipe 221 to a pipe 228 connected to an annular chamber 235 in the boss formation |2| of the head 2|. Leading downward from the annular chamber 235' and spaced circumferentially therein is a series of drilled openings 23| leading into a second annular chamber or orifice 232 formed by the head boss |2| and an annular ring 233. This orifice 232 is so shaped that the air streams will be caused to converge at a point below the mandrel |25 and approximately in the center of the mold cavity 234 of the mold 22 therebelow. Thus, when valve 225 is actuated, the fluid supplied will eject any chips or dust from the mold cavity and at the same time insure the cleaning of the mandrel |25 as well as applying a cooling medium to said mandrel. This same apparatus is provided on each individual head and by adjusting the cam 224 on the shaft 225 through the medium of adjusting screw 235, it is possible to get this application of air or fluid under pressure on each head in the proper desired sequence and for the proper time interval.

When the resinous material has been formed into a completed article and the mold 22 has been withdrawn from molding position as is indicated in Fig. 1'7, the molded article will be left in position on the forming mandrel |25. In order to remove this formed article, it is necessary to apply force in some shape or form to loosen it from said mandrel and, in this particular instance where a molded cap having an internal screw thread is being formed, this force is applied in the-form of rotation through the medium of a disk 245 formed of asbestos or some similar material. This disk is so shaped that as it is rotated in the proper direction, its periphery 24| will contact the outer peripheral surface of the formed cap |45 and cause it to be unscrewed from the mandrel |25. As this force is applied to rotate the cap in a counterclockwise manner, it will be apparent that as the cap unscrews and reaches the lower limit of the mandrel, it will be thrown sideways and, in order to guide this cap as it is thrown, a guard 242 is provided to the left of the center of each mold table. This guard prevents the cap from fiying over into the adjacent molding heads and causes it to drop downwe have previously in wardly into a cone-shaped depression 243 from whence it drops through a plpe.244 to a control gate 245. This gate may be actuated by any desired mechanism to discharge these caps therefrom inany preferred manner. tuate the disk 245, a bracket 245 attached by pin 241 to the piston |53 of the cylinder |55 carries in its outer hub formation 255 a sleeve 25|, this sleeve being mounted for free rotation in said bracket. In order to retain this sleeve in proper position, a pin 252 projects into a groove 253 formed in the outer periphery of said sleeve. Referring to Figs. 14 and l5,v it will be noted that this sleeve is formed on its loWer'end with a series of ratchet teeth 254, these teethy being engaged by a pawl 255, said pawl pivoted on a pin 255 in extension 251 of hub 255 and held in engagement-with the ratchet teeth by means of a spring 258. A vertical shaft 255 supporting at its upper end a wardly through the center of the table 85 is formed at its lower end with a 'spiral slot 25|, said slot having at its upper and. lower vends a straight section 252 and 253. Embedded in the sleeve 25| is a pin 254 which projects into the spiral slot 25| of shaft 255, thus providing a sliding engagement between the sleeve 25| and the shaft 255.

Referring to Fig. 2. it will be apparent that as the piston |52 moves downwardly from the position shown, the shaft 255 can not have any vertical movement due to a collar 255 being attached thereto by pin 255, said collar resting upon the roller bearing 251, said bearing supported by an extension bearing 255 of cylinder |55.' Due to the contact between pin 254 and the spiral slot 25|, the shaft 255must necessarily revolve. The rotation of shaft 255 when the piston |52 moves downwardly is made possible by the fact that the pawl 255 holds the sleeve 25| from rotation and thus the shaft 255 is forced to rotate in its place. As the piston |52 moves on its upward stroke the pawl 255 becames ineffective and the shaft 255 remains stationary and the sleeve 25| will rotate.

In order that the disk 245 may be moved to a position where it will.not interfere with the forming operations during the movement of the mold 22 to forming and curing position, a collar 215 attached to shaft 255 provides a means whereby the bracket 245 near the upper end of its stroke will raise the shaft 255 bodily in its bearings and move the disk 245 to the position shown in Fig. 16. As the movement of the parts is reversed and the bracket 245 moves downward with piston |52, the spring 259 causes the shaft 255 to assume its normal position as in Figs. 2 and 17.

In view of the fact that the spiral slot 25| will give a predetermined and definite amount of rotation to disk 245 and in order to insurey the noninterference of said disk with other mechanisms when not in use, it must therefore be definitely positioned relative to said slot 26| and especially shaped as shownin Figs. 4 and 5, with a cut-away portion 21|. A set-screw 212 fastens this disk in proper position on shaft 255.

Referring to Figs. 18, 19 and 20, which diagrammatically'show one method that may prevail in the feeding and forming of resinous materials in this machine, it should be noted that this description disclosed the manner of feeding charges to these molds but at this time this chart will be utilized to illusy trate the manner of curing as well as charging the material into the molds. As heretofore exe In order to ac- 5 disk 245 and extending downi 'i plained, the first four stations (Fig. 18) show the molds A2 as charged and with the hopper moving to the right on its feeding stroke. As the hopper continues its movement to the right-hand end of the machine, each mold table is indexed`180 prior to the molds receiving a charge and this means that the travel of the hopper to the righthand end of the machine and back again will then leave the bottom line of molds of Fig. 18 or A2 in a charged condition with the upper or inner set empty. As the hopper starts on its second travel to the right from the dotted line position as designated in Fig. 19, each mold table 80 will again index 180 prior to receiving a charge,

thus moving the charged molds A2 to the position shown in the rst four steps of Fig. 19 (which is that illustrated in Figs. 2 and 16) and the molds B2 will receive their initial charge of molding material. Therefore, when the hopper has traveled for the second time to the extreme right end of the machine and returned, all the molds on each head will have received charges of material and the rst group of charges deposited, namely, A2, will have been preheated in the mold during the time interval necessary for the hopper to make the rst complete round trip or approximately one-half of the necessary forming cycle. 'Ihen they will have been presented to forming mandrel for forming and retained there during the time interval required for the hopper 33 to make its second complete round trip for charging the molds B2 and caps H5 will have been completely formed and cured ready for discharge. At this time hopper 33 will have reached the position designated by dotted lines in Fig. 20. Then, as the hopper travels to the right on its third cycle (Fig. 20) the molds A2 of the first four stations will be stripped from the formed article |45 at the forming position as indicated in Fig. 17 and the tables 80 will be indexed, bringing molds B2 to the forming and curing position. Molds A2 will then receive a fresh charge and remain at the charging position for the preheating period which ordinarily is the time interval required fer the hopper 33 to make its charging stroke and return. In other words, at this point thc original charges in molds A2 (Fig. 18) will have been completely formed and cured and the disk 24D will be rotatively contacting the formed article to remove it from the mandrel |25. and the hopper will have again started on its charging motion to recharge molds A2 as in Fig. 20.

In order that this cycle of curing and forming may be more easily understood, a description of an actual time cycle will be herewith given. Assuming that an article is being fabricated that requires a time interval of forty seconds, theA following conditions will prevail. Starting with the hopper 33 in the dotted line position (Fig. 18), it is necessary to move this hopper a distance equal to that between any two heads in order that #I table may be indexed. Therefore, as the hopper begins to move, the molds on #I table must be in the position shown in Fig. 17, and as it requires a movement of rack |00 and hopper 33, as before stated, to index the table it must, therefore, require a proportionate part of the entire cycle to index the tables, or approximately ve-eighths of a second. It is to be understood that the mold tables always index just prior to receiving a charge and, therefore, as the table comes to rest, a charge is simultaneously deposited in a mold thereon by member 43, thus creating the starting point of the time interval necessary for preheating o1' the charge in the mold. The duration of this preheating interval extends or continues until the hopper has traveled the full length of the machine, returned, and again reached this particular point directly in front of #I table. After a charge has been delivered to #I table, the hopper 33, which has a continuous movement along the front of the machine, continues to travel on its way to the extreme right-hand end of the machine, and as it travels it indexes each table and thereafter charges one mold on each indexed table up to and including the last or #Il as per diagram (Figs. 18 to 20, incl.) table and mold. Upon reaching the last table, the hopper travels a slight distance beyond the center line thereof in order to bring the charging member 43 into normal position beneath the hopper outlet 62, locking it in said position, and at the same time this excess travel allows the lug 48l on slide member bushing 46 to complete its travel in the spiral groove 3| of shaft 30, finally reaching the semi-circular groove I9 in said shaft. Upon reaching this semi-circular groove, the hopper starts its return motion therein and then, by entering the spiral groove 32, the hopper is caused to resume its normal speed and to return to its original starting position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 19. The time interval required for the hopper to make this complete cycle of travel is approximately twenty seconds or onehalf of the curing and forming cycle. This means that the charge dropped in mold A2 on #I table has remained in this mold all of this time and the charges on each successive table will, therefore, each be in their respective molds the same time interval as the hopper reaches its position in front of each mold table. From this it should be apparent that the preheating cycle will be exactly alike on all tables.

The next step after preheating the charge is, of course, to present it to the forming mandrel |25 where it is given its nal shape, and in order to do this, the hopper 33 must, of course, start on its next charging stroke, the operation of which will be identical to that described as occurring during its rst charging cycle. It should be noted here that when the hopper 33 reaches its charging position directly on the center line of #I head that the mold first previously charged will by that time have reached the position as designated in Fig. 19 by the symbol A2, due to the indexing of the table, this being the forming position. The positioning of the mold A2 at this point in the cycle uses up the twenty seconds,

and the next twenty seconds of the forming and curing cycle are utilized by moving the mold into pressing position, retaining it in said position and retracting the mold to discharging position. During these last mentioned operations, the hopper 33 will, of course, have traveled to the end of the machine and returned to its initial starting position, and likewise each individual table will have been successively indexed, presenting in succession and timed sequence preheated charges to the forming mandrel. From this description, it will be noted that a forty second preheating and formingcycle prevails on each individual head and that these cycles overlap as between heads, thus giving a condition where articles are brought to nal form on each head in succession with seconds or fractions thereof elapsing between the completion of each article on the various heads. It is, of course, understood that the forty second cycle just de- "control of the molds in any scribed is merely an example and it should be further understood that any desired time cycle may be used;

Temperature control The description of this machine has so far been specifically directed to the mechanical features of the invention, but besides these mechanical features it is necessary that a control of the heatl or temperature conditions in this inachine be obtainablein order 4that the curing of these synthetic and natural resins may be properly accomplished. To begin with, the oven 2| is an elongated, enclosed chamber so shaped as' to have the least amount of excess space, as well as to conform in some respects to the shape of the individual heads of the-machine. This oven is insulated wherever possible with glass wool or some such insulating material 215 andv this insulation is retained in position by means of metal side shields 216, top shields 211 and cover shields 218. -IElectrical heating elements 28|) are provided in each headv and through a resistance control 28| or rheostat individual toeach'head, as Well as elementy 280, the temperature: may thereby be regulated and balanced throughout the length and width of the-oven 2|. Mica liners 284 are provided between each element 280 and the walls of the oven 2| in-order to protect the said walls as well as act as reflectors ofthe heat generated by the elements. It will be noted that, with the exception of the modication shown in Fig. 24, these heating elements are positioned on one side only of the oven. Thus, the temperature zone on that particular side will be high, while on the opposite side the temperature will be considerably lower, due to space -and in-' tervening mechanisms or objects. However, in order to insure control of the low temperature` zone, vents 285 have been provided, and adjust able closures A286 therefor allow 'regulation -of the area of the vents, thereby providing' not only a temperature control' but the flow of heat to that side of the oven.

In order to provide easy access to each` individual head, cover plates 290 (Figs. 22 and 26) are provided in the roof of oven 2| over each head and these plates are with insulating material 215 enclosed in shields 218 individual to'the cover plates 290. These cover plates are provided with a projecting flange 292 shapedto t into openings 293 in the head 2| while the insulating shields 218 are so shaped as to overlap the cover plates 29|) and form a continuous field of insulation for the roof of the oven 2| such as is indicated in Figs. 22 and 26.

In Figs. 24 and 25,- there has been illustrated a modication in structure which allows for heating of the oven 2| along both sides in order to further insure adequate temperature of their positions. The means for so providing additional temperature control consists in supplying arcuate shaped electric resistant elements 295 individual to the heads and resistance controls 28| or rheostats for each element.

As indicated in Fig. 26, there will then be heating elements 280 and 295 for each mold head, both of which are individually controllable as to temperature and these, in combination with the adjustable vents 285, will provide an adequate controlv for temperature conditions in each head and throughout the length and Width of the oven 2|.

These elements 295 are provided with mica ing`heads, molds thereon,

individually insulated.

-ber

into alignment with the feed openings one at a vices by way of said openings,

pairs of electrical heat-V shields 296 to-protect the metal of the head casting and act as reflectors of the heat.

With the electric controls just previously described, it should be apparent that the range of temperature control throughout the machine may be of any desired type and that the temperature adjacent each individual unit will' allow the obtaining of proper pre-heating and curing temperature on each head and mold.

Modifications-may be resorted to .within the spirit and scope of our invention.

We claim: 1. In a machine for molding organic plastic materials, the combination of a series ofmold- ,a container for moldable material,means to bring successive molding heads and Asaid material container repeatedly into charging position withrespect to each other,

automatic means to transfer a. charge from the container vto one mold of each head when said .container and head assume a charging relationship, and automatic means operable to prevent charging the molds during a subsequent relative positioning of the mold and container.4

2. .In apparatus of the character described, a chamber having a side wall formed with a, series of horizontallyaligned feed openings, mold heads arranged 'within the chamber and corresponding innumber to that of. the feed openings, a. mold'on each head, a container for a moldable material common cam means for efecting'relative movement between the container'and chamber to thereby bring the container. into register with the feed openings in succession, means for transferring a measured quantity of moldable material from,

the container to each of the molds through said feed' openings, mandrels individual to the molding heads, means for bringing the mandrels and molds into cooperative relation -and thereby transforming the material ticle, and-means for heating: said chamber.

3. In apparatus of the character described, a chamber having a side wall formed with a horizontal series offeed openings, molding devices arranged within the cha ber, means for heating the chamber, a container for moldable material all of the molding devices, means for common to effecting-relative movement between the chamand container whereby the latter is brought time, .a charge transferring device adapted for projection through the feed openings to deliver charges of the moldable material from the container to the molding devices, and -rneans normally closing the f eed openings and openable by operation of the charge transferring device.

4. In apparatus for molding organicr plastic materials, the combination of a horizontally elongated chamber having a side wall provided with a horizontally extending series of feedopenings, molding devices arranged within the chamber and individual to the -feed openings, means exterior to the chamber and common to the molding devices for delivering measured charges of moldable material to the molding demeans for heating the chamberzincluding ing' elements for each molding device, one element of each pair disposed in proximity to one of the feed openings and the other element arranged directly across the chamber from the rst element, vand means for regulably controlently of each other.

to the mold heads,

into a finished ar- 

